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Nonlinearities are common in nature (Beisner et al. 2003, Scheffer et al. 2001). Sudden change in ecosystem attributes can result from seemingly smooth and gradual change in physical or biological components (Muradian 2001). For instance, in kelp forests, increasing sea urchin densities initially produce small or negligible changes in habitat-providing kelp. However, above a thresho...

In the PSP parlance, a target is defined as a desired state (Puget Sound Partnership 2009b). Consequently, the process of establishing desirability must comprise not just ecological understanding, but also societal values (Campbell et al. 2009, Rapport 1992). A powerful way to collect and organize data about societal values is the normative approach (Vaske et al. 1993). Norms define...

A catalog of ecosystem indicators is only useful in the extent to which it informs answers to the question “Is Puget Sound healthy?” In economics, it is not meaningful to report on the rate at which unemployment claims are filed unless it is known that an increase in that rate indicates a decline in the business cycle (The Business Conference Board 2001). Similarly, in the absence o...

This section provides a brief summary of existing targets for Puget Sound including those for species, habitats, water quality, and water quantity. Existing Species Targets In Puget Sound, target reference levels have been assigned to a subset of ecosystem indicators. For indicators meant to inform the PSP Species Goal, it is worth noting that targets have been established p...

Table 30. Species indicators for which targets have been established in Puget Sound and/or Washington state. Species Indicator Target Achieved Reference Bald eagle Equilibrium population abundance is ~6,000 individuals in WA state Yes ...

Ainsworth, C.H., T.J. Pitcher, and C. Rotinsulu. 2008. Evidence of fishery depletions and shifting cognitive baselines in Eastern Indonesia. Biological Conservation 141(3):848-859.Aronson, R., et al. 2005. Emergent zonation and geographic convergence of coral reefs. Ecology 86(10):2586-2600.Bateman, I., et al. 2009. Reducing gain-loss asymmetry: A virtual reality choice experiment val...

Attributecharacteristic that is of scientific and/or management importance, but insufficiently specific and/or logistically challenging to measure directly; also, ecological characteristic that specifically describes the state of Focal ComponentsBaselinereference level derived from time periods or locations free from human pressuresBenchmarkindicator value suggestive of progress towar...

Mark L. Plummer1 and Morgan Schneidler2   1Northwest Fisheries Fisheries Science Center 2Puget Sound Partnership

The Puget Sound Partnership is charged with identifying actions to protect and restore Puget Sound, and assessing the effectiveness of those actions. As part of its effort to fulfill these charges, the Partnership will identify indicators to monitor the ecological and human systems within the Puget Sound region. These indicators will help inform decision makers and the public abo...

Over the past decade, efforts have been made to expand our understanding of coupled social and ecological systems (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2003; Liu et al., 2007; Walker et al., 2002). Governments at many levels have increasingly sought to base environmental management not just on political considerations, but on goals such as ecological health and resilience. Understand...